Powering Productivity
The UK’s food and drink sector is the nation’s largest manufacturing industry, contributing £37 billion in GVA, supporting nearly half a million skilled jobs, and anchoring food security in every region. Its scale, presence and reach uniquely positions it to power economic and productivity growth.
After a challenging year – marked by raising costs and shifting regulation – the industry is more determined than ever to unlock its growth potential.
Our ambition is clear: for the UK to be the most dynamic and competitive place to start, grow and invest in food and drink manufacturing by 2035. With the right partnership between industry and government, our sector can drive the UK’s growth agenda.
To foster this collaboration, we bring industry and government together, through a series of events, an industry taskforce and the provision of practical guidance to our members.
Investment Summit 2025
The FDF Investment Summit brought together food and drink business leaders, government, technology and finance experts, to discuss future investment, productivity and growth for the UK’s largest manufacturing sector.
The Summit featured an address and Q&A with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Emma Reynolds, who pledged to support the long-term growth of the food and drink industry.
Ambition for Growth
Our sector is ambitious, and our plans for the next decade are for the UK to be recognised as the most dynamic and competitive place to start, grow, and invest in Food and Drink Manufacturing by 2035.
Over the next decade, we want to partner with government to:
- Double annual business investment from £5.8bn to £12bn
- Grow exports to £35bn
- Generate over £50bn in UK GVA by unlocking £14bn in tech adoption
- Make the UK the global hub for healthier product innovation and R&D
- Contribute to reducing carbon emissions by 50% and drive a circular economy
Our Ambition for Growth sets out 7 key asks for government to help us deliver these ambitions by 2035.
Future Factory II
One year ago, Future Factory set out a bold vision: to unlock a £7-£14 billion growth opportunity through greater adoption of automation, digital technologies and AI. Since then, the Food and Drink Technology Taskforce has translated that ambition into a roadmap for practical action.
From insight to implementation
The Food and Drink Technology Taskforce was formed in late 2024 to build on the Future Factory findings and identify practical ways to accelerate technology adoption across the sector. Bringing together experts from technology providers, manufacturers, academia, catapults and finance, the group worked through meetings, interviews and input from the Food and Drink Manufacturing Advisory Group to ensure proposals reflected real operational needs.
You can read the full findings of the Taskforce here:
Immediate priorities
Future Factory II sets out two immediate priorities designed to accelerate technology adoption and deliver measurable benefits for businesses:
Accelerate adoption of automation, robotics and digital technologies across the food and drink sector through support programmes and centres of excellence.
- Increase business engagement with Made Smarter Adoption across all regions and the government’s proposals to create Robotics Adoption Hubs.
- Explore the formation of a network of Demonstrator sites.
- Develop a targeted communications campaign to raise awareness of available support.
Develop a practical Food and Drink Technology Adoption Blueprint
- To support building a business case for new technology; access to finance and grant support; digitalisation pathways for start-ups and scale-ups; and selecting and implementing core digital systems (e.g. MES, ERP, or CRM).
- Bridge the gap between manufacturers and tech suppliers to address common pinch points – such as interoperability, data sharing, and deployment of modern tech with legacy machinery and systems.
Technology Innovation Partnership
The Food and Drink Technology Taskforce has laid the foundation for a more coordinated and impactful approach to digitalisation and automation across the sector. The next stage will shift focus from defining priorities to delivering practical change, ensuring that the recommendations in the report translate into measurable progress on the ground.
To take this work forward, FDF will convene a new Food and Drink Technology Innovation Partnership – a collaborative group built from the strong foundations of the Taskforce, designed to lead and coordinate the implementation of the report’s recommendations.
Get involved
Find out more about joining the Innovation Partnership by contacting Tanya Barringer, our Industry Growth Policy Manager:
Email: Tanya.Barringer@fdf.org.uk
FDF membership
For more information on how FDF membership can help unlock growth and address digitisation and automation challenges across your business, fill in our membership enquiry form or contact our membership team today.
The membership team
Email: membership@fdf.org.uk